Between 1972 and 1975, seventy members of the Communist Party of Brazil and peasants of that region were arbitrarily detained, tortured, and forcefully disappeared in the context of the military dictatorship in Brazil. The State failed to carry out a criminal investigation and its legislative and administrative measures unduly restricted the next of kin's right to access of information. The Court emphasized the right to truth inherent in Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights, particularly when it deals with gross human rights violations such as those of forced disappearances and extrajudicial execution. The Court found that the State violated the American Convention on Human Rights.
Case Summary: Gomes Lund et al. ("Guerrilha do Araguaia") v. Brazil, Case Summary